The Ability to Shift Anything is Convenient, Even in Another World!

Up ahead, Soru remained in place. He watched in silence as children played with their friends, men helped the dwarves finish the houses, and women organized their belongings inside their new homes.

A light tap on his back pulled him from his thoughts. Turning around, he found Reika standing there.

"You good?"

Soru gave a silent nod before returning his gaze to the bustling settlement. Reika stepped beside him, following his line of sight.

She watched the children run and laugh, their joy filling the air.

"Look at them," she murmured. "Even after everything they've been through, their happiness still shines brighter than their fears..."

Soru heard her but didn't reply. Reika wasn't surprised. He was never the type to offer words easily, and if she pressed him, he’d probably respond in a way that would only annoy her.

Just as she was about to speak again, her eyes caught a family huddled together. A mother embraced her young daughter while the father, carrying heavy supplies, smiled at them.

Despite their hardships, they still had moments like this—warm, unshaken by fear or sorrow.

Reika's chest tightened. The scene pulled her back to memories of her childhood, to the grandparents who raised her after her parents passed away.

Grandma... Grandpa...

Soru noticed the shift in her expression. He didn’t need words to understand the emotions behind it.

Then, without a word, he reached out and placed a hand on top of her head.

Reika blinked in surprise, snapping out of her thoughts. "Hey! What are you—"

"When I was young," Soru said, his voice steady, "the one who took care of me always did this before leaving the house."

His hand gently patted her head, his touch slow and deliberate. Reika instinctively tried to move away, but an unexpected warmth settled over her, quieting her thoughts.

"I never really knew why," Soru continued, "but whenever she did this, my mind felt clearer... Maybe it'll work for you too."

Reika glanced at him. He wasn’t looking at her—his eyes were on the children, watching them with an unreadable expression.

A small smile tugged at her lips. She let her head rest under his touch, her gaze returning to the children playing.

Hmm. This isn’t so bad...

As Soru continued to pat her head, a thought crossed her mind. Without lifting her head, she asked, "Soru, I noticed something earlier that you can communicate with the locals now. Did you learn their language? Back when we first arrived in this world, you could only speak Japanese, right?"

As expected, Soru said nothing. Reika, unfazed, kept talking.

"I mean, I could only speak Japanese and English. But after getting a convenient ability from the Wildfire Dragon, I can understand and speak their words now with ease..."

Reika turned to him, locking eyes with his.

"But in your case, I don’t get it. How can you do the same? Is there... an explanation for that?"

Soru exhaled, his hand still resting on her head as he continued patting it, showing no signs of stopping.

"I extracted the memories of their dialect from a dying assassin we fought earlier and transferred them into mine. That’s why I can speak the same language as the people of this world now."

Reika froze. The sheer absurdity of his words left her speechless. She placed a hand on her chin, sorting through her thoughts.

If that’s possible... just how versatile are his abilities? Not only could he transfer damage and attacks, but he could also transfer knowledge and memories.

That’s... simply insane!

As her thoughts raced, she became increasingly aware of Soru's hand still patting her head. The sensation, which had been oddly calming at first, now started to irritate her. With a sharp motion, she grabbed his wrist.

"Alright, stop! You’ve messed up my hair enough."

Soru lowered his arm, unbothered, and turned his attention back to the children playing tag, as if nothing had happened.

Reika sighed as she tried to fix her hair, but her curiosity lingered. She glanced at him again.

"Soru... who are you, really?"

The moment the words left her lips, Soru turned to face her.

"Did you say something?"

Reika’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly averted her gaze and hurriedly fixed her hair.

"U-Uh... N-Nothing. Forget it."

Trying to compose herself, she took a deep breath. Meanwhile, Soru, as usual, seemed completely oblivious to the tension in the air.

"I hate to interrupt your quality time together," a voice suddenly chimed in, "but the king requests an audience with you, Miss Reika."

Reika jolted.

"Q-Quality time?!"

She spun around, only to find Aeden standing there with her usual composed expression.

"Oh, it’s just you, Miss Aeden," Reika said, her embarrassment barely hidden.

Aeden bowed her head slightly. Reika returned the gesture before straightening up.

"Do you know why the king wants to see me?" she asked, confused.

Aeden shook her head. "I’m afraid I don’t. I’m simply relaying his orders."

Reika hesitated but ultimately nodded. "Alright, I’ll go with you."

As the two turned to leave, Soru moved to follow them, but Aeden quickly stepped in front of him.

"Sorry, kid, but only Miss Reika is allowed to meet the king in private."

Soru stopped, staring at her for a moment before giving a small nod. Without another word, he turned away, his gaze shifting back to the villagers still hard at work.

Aeden led Reika toward the center of the settlement, where Alguis was overseeing the construction of a large house. As they approached, they saw Silas speaking with him.

"Once the men finish building the second house, let them rest," Alguis instructed. "They’ve been working without sleep, so they need time to recover their strength."

Silas hesitated. "But, Your Majesty—uh, Mister Alguis... what about our dinner? We planned to hunt for food tonight..."

Alguis crossed his arms with a confident grin. "My subordinates will handle the hunting. Let your men rest."

Silas frowned. "But what about you? You and your subordinates haven’t had much rest either..."

Alguis raised a thumb and smirked. "Don’t worry! We dwarves have far more stamina and endurance than humans!"

Silas blinked in surprise. "No wonder you can keep going for hours..."

He bowed his head respectfully. "If you insist, Mister Alguis. Thank you for all your hard work!"

Alguis chuckled. "It’s nothing."

Silas turned to inform the workers that they could rest after finishing their task. Meanwhile, Alguis called Aeden and Völun over.

"I need you two to hunt some wild game for tonight’s feast."

"As you wish, my king!" they both responded before heading off.

Now, only Reika and Alguis remained. The dwarf king focused on adding the finishing touches to the large house before stepping back and nodding in satisfaction.

"And with that... it’s finally done!"

When Alguis turned around, he saw Reika, standing as she waited for him. He had been so caught up in his work that he nearly forgot about their meeting. With a quick step, he approached her in a frantic manner.

"Oh! My apologies, Miss Reika! I was so engrossed in my work that I almost forgot about you!"

"It’s fine. I only waited a minute or so."

Though I was so bored I nearly left without his permission…

"Hm… is that so?"

Alguis glanced around and noticed the area had grown quiet.

"Everyone must be taking a break now..."

With that, he sat down on a nearby log, motioning for Reika to join him. She did, settling beside him.

A brief silence stretched between them. Then, Alguis broke it.

"Aeden told me your name is Reika Mitsuha. At first, I assumed you were of noble birth since you carry a surname, but she mentioned that in your homeland, possessing a surname is common. Is that true?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Alguis suddenly let out a hearty laugh.

"HAHAHAHA! No need for such formalities, Miss Reika! I am a dethroned king, an exile. My status is long gone."

Reika remained quiet, letting him speak. His laughter faded, and his tone turned serious.

"Miss Reika, I requested this meeting because I have something important to ask of you."

"What is it, Your Ma—"

"Alguis. Just call me Mister Alguis."

"Ah, right. M-Mister Alguis, what kind of request?"

Alguis took a deep breath, gazing at the sky as the warm afternoon light cast long shadows.

"After witnessing your ability in battle, I want to ask for your assistance..."

Reika furrowed her brows. "Assistance?"

"I need your help infiltrating the Dwarven Kingdom."

Reika stiffened. "Wait... what?"

Alguis clenched his fists. "With the four of us together, we must uncover the truth behind my son's reckless actions. I believe that there's something going on in the kingdom that escaped my notice... "

Reika was taken aback by Alguis' words.

Infiltrate the dwarven kingdom? That’s insane!

"But, Mister Alguis, that’s too risky! With just the four of us, the chances of getting caught are too high—especially if your son has already tightened the security within!"

"I’m aware of that risk!" Alguis said firmly. "That’s why I need to gather trustworthy allies and carefully plan this, even if it takes time to execute."

Alguis' grip tightened, and he looked at her with his eyes filled with determination.

"And that first step starts today. If you join us, our chances of success will increase, even if only slightly. It’s better than nothing..."

Reika could hear the resolve in his voice. She could see it in his eyes.

Even so, Reika knew that it was reckless. She felt sorry for him, but risking her life on something so uncertain wasn’t a choice she could make lightly.

Urk… I need to shake him off before he ropes me into that dangerous plan!

"I might consider helping," she said hesitantly, "b-but doing so without any sort of benefit or condition wouldn’t be fair to me. After all… this isn’t really my problem to begin with."

Alguis paused, stroking his beard in thought.

"You're right, Miss Reika. It does seem unfair to you..."

Reika gulped as she stared at Alguis.

I know this might sound greedy, but I just want to pressure him with an impossible request so he'll reconsider dragging me into that suicide mission of his...!

Alguis fell silent for a moment. Reika eagerly waited for his response.

Please, please, please! Just exclude me!

"Miss Reika... I am willing to accept any request you can think of in exchange for your assistance."

Reika froze in shock.

"Eh?"

She hadn't expected her bluff to backfire so spectacularly.

"Uh... I-I was just—!"

"Yes. It would be unreasonable to ask someone to take on such a difficult task without offering something in return..."

Alguis leaned in slightly, his eyes burning with determination.

"That's why, to earn your trust and convince you to join us, I am willing to listen to any request you have—without complaint. Would that be enough?"

Reika’s eye twitched as cold sweat formed on her forehead.

Oh shit, how did it turn out like this? I should've kept my mouth shut!

"Ehhh..."

She scrambled for a way out, but it was too late. She had burned the bridge behind her—there was no escaping now.

What a hassle...

"A-Alright, alright. I agree..."

The moment she gave her answer, Alguis' face lit up, and he smiled brightly.

"So... what is it that you want, Miss Reika?"

Reika tensed and instinctively shifted away from him.

"Urk..."

I only said that on a whim, but I have no idea what to ask for! What could he even offer me? They barely escaped with their weapons—asking for money is out of the question!

"Uh, what about the p-potions you used earlier?"

Alguis’ enthusiasm faded, and he shook his head.

"If you mean the ones I used to tend to my subordinates, I’m afraid I can’t fulfill that request. I only had four potions, and I used them all during our battles."

Reika frowned, tapping her chin.

Then what else do they have? They're practically broke!

Her eyes drifted toward Alguis’ weapon, propped against a nearby tree.

What about his weapon?

She immediately shook her head.

No way! First off, I don’t even know how to wield a weapon. Second, isn’t it disrespectful to take someone else’s? Yeah, that’s not happening!

Alguis, noticing her odd behavior, raised a brow.

"Are you alright, Miss Reika?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and quickly composed herself.

"I-I'm fine... I just... Ugh..."

Still struggling to come up with a reasonable request, an idea suddenly struck her. Her expression hardened, and she faced Alguis with newfound seriousness.

"I think—no. I’ve decided what I want in exchange for my help with your plan."

She glanced around cautiously as if making sure no one was listening. Alguis narrowed his eyes at her unusual behavior.

"But first, we need to talk somewhere more private, away from prying ears."

Alguis hesitated for a moment, briefly wondering if she had some hidden agenda. But when he met her eyes, he saw no deceit—just determination. With a small smile, he stood up.

"Alright. If privacy is what you need, I know a place nearby. Follow me."

Alguis walked ahead, his weapon strapped to his back and a torch in his hand while guiding Reika on her tracks.

"Follow this way, Miss Reika."

Without hesitation, Reika followed his command in silence, wondering where exactly this private place he mentioned could be.